Fiscal Cliff Package to Include Farm Bill?

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – If Congress reaches a deal on a “fiscal cliff” package before the end of the year, the farm bill could be included in the legislation, according to Congressman Bob Gibbs of Ohio. Last week Gibbs sent a letter to House Ag Committee members– including Rep. Tim Johnson and Rep. Bobby Schilling of Illinois– urging a compromise and the passage of a 2012 Farm Bill.

“We know that you need certainty as you prepare for the 2013 crop year and are frustrated that you have not been able to count on Congress to deliver a farm bill,” Illinois Corn officials wrote in an email to members following Gibbs’ letter, which was soon co-signed by Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria. “We also know that funding for a new farm bill, should it slide into 2013, will be significantly less than we have to work with today. The farm bill funding as it stands today is $14 billion less than it was in 2008.”

Passing a farm bill before the end of 2012 is one of Illinois Corn’s top priorities.

Feral Hogs Uprooting Fulton County Farmland

LEWISTOWN – Fulton County’s population of free-ranging, feral hogs is booming, causing increased damage to crops, wildlife and natural resources, according to the county’s farm bureau manager. “The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) estimates through use of night photography that as many as 3,000 feral hogs are running loose in southern Fulton County,” said Elaine Stone of the Fulton County Farm Bureau (FCFB). The largest cluster of the animals appears to be located south of US Hwy 136 in the Bernadotte-Ipava-Table Grove area. “None have been reported north of US 136,” Stone reported during a recent phone interview.

A wildlife specialist with the USDA, Brain Cobban, came to Fulton County to lead a meeting with landowners interested in getting their feral hog problems under control. Cobban is utilizing DNR grant money to assist Fulton County landowners in trapping the animals, according to Stone, and the results have so far been encouraging. Fifteen hogs were captured in a single pen recently, bringing the number of animals trapped in the past year in the county to 184.

There are collateral issues to consider in addition to damage to crops and natural resources caused by the presence of wild hogs, Stone added. “The farmers who have acknowledged the presence of the hogs on their farms have noticed the deer and the wild turkeys they used to hunt are not coming back. There is also the disease and parasite issues. Wildlife specialists fear these hogs might reintroduce some of the diseases that farmers had gotten control of such as brucellosis,” she said.

Peoria Marketer to Speak at Farm Futures

ST. LOUIS – Darren Frye, CEO at Water Street Solutions, a marketing and risk management firm in Peoria, will be a featured speaker at the Farm Futures Business Summit scheduled for Jan. 3-4, 2013 in St. Louis. Frye will offer tips on developing a business model based on shared, core values and making those core values the centerpiece of your business– a strategy employed by many top companies.

In addition, Justin Durden, a district director for the Illinois Corn Growers Association and a farmer from Utica in LaSalle County, will serve on a summit panel focusing on multi-generational farms and the interactions between generations transitioning on and off farms. And Howard Buffett, Illinois Farmer, philanthropist and son of renowned investor Warren Buffett, will headline the summit with a presentation on how farms can posit themselves for long-term, sustainable profit. More info on the summit can be found at ICGA’s website or by calling (309) 827-0912. (Illinois Corn news)

Peoria Lab Gets Sustainable Research Grant

EAST LANSING, MI. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Michigan State University on Dec. 14 to announce $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products, including $500,000 for the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Peoria. The amount was the highest awarded to any of the 29 recipients, and the Peoria Ag Lab was the only Illinois recipient and only non-university grantee of the 29.

“USDA and President Obama are committed to producing clean energy right here at home, to not only break our dependence on foreign oil, but also to boost rural economies,” Vilsack said. “These projects will give us the scientific information needed to support biofuel production and create co-products that will enhance the overall value of a biobased economy.”

The long-term goal of the project is to develop sustainable regional systems that materially deliver liquid transportation biofuels to help meet the mandate of 36 billion gallons of U.S. biofuels produced per year by 2022, as defined by the Energy Independence and Security Act. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded the grants through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. (USDA press release)

$11 Million Available for EQIP

CHAMPAIGN – The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has directed more than $11 million in financial assistance for fiscal 2013 to help Illinois farmers implement conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), according to NRCS State Conservationist for Illinois, Ivan Dozier. “(EQIP) offers farmers, ranchers and forestland managers a variety of options to conserve natural resources while boosting production on their lands,” Dozier said in an NRCS news release dated December 14. “These funds are a conservation investment that helps improve environmental health and the economy of Illinois’ rural communities.”

NRCS is offering special initiatives through EQIP, including On-Farm Energy, Seasonal High Tunnel, Organic and Air Quality initiatives. Interested farmers and rural landowners should visit their local NRCS service center for information on EQIP conservation practices and sign-up periods.

Illinois Farm Fact:

53 percent of Illinois corn is exported while 25 percent is used for ethanol, 15 percent for processing and seven percent for animal feed. (Illinois Ag in the Classroom)

(Tim Alexander is a freelance reporter who writes agriculture, news and feature articles for the News Bulletin, Farm World and many other publications.)